Knob-operated door lock



July 17, 1956 A. AsLAGsEN xNoB-oPERATEn DooR Loox 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March l. 1954 A r roe/v5 V July 17, 1956 A. AsLAGsEN KNOB-OPERATED nooR Locx 2 sheets-sneek 2 Filed March l, 1954 United States Patent KNOB-OPERATED DOOR LOCK Albert Aslagsen, Seattle, Wash. Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,231 9 Claims. (Cl. 292-169) The door lock to which the present invention pertains is incorporated in the usual inside door latch set having door knobs projecting from opposite sides of the door and the latching and locking mechanism incorporated within the door between its faces. The present lock construction enables the door to be locked from one side by manipulation of the door knob on that side to prevent opening of the door by turning the knob on the other side of the door.

Various expedients have been provided heretofore for locking a door from one side without resorting to the use of a key, but such expedients have involved the manipulation of a locking member separate from the door knob. A principal object of the present invention is to enable the same result to be produced by manipulation of the door knob itself and preferably by rotation of the door knob.

A further object is to provide mechanism affording such a door locking operation which can be incorporated in latch sets having a conventional type of latching and latchreleasing mechanism. Changes of only a minor nature are required in the mechanism of such latch sets to incorporate in them the mechanism of the present invention.

It is also an object to provide such mechanism which will be inexpensive to construct, and yet will be reliable in operation, so that it cannot be damaged easily or be subject to excessive wear.

Such objects can be accomplished by employing a quadrant type of rollback in a door latch set in combination with cam mechanism which will shift the door spindles axially. Such cam mechanism may include a cam slot in a spindle encircling sleeve, in which slot rides a pin carried by the spindle. Lengthwise shifting of the spindles thus effected will move the other rollback having a planar face into rotation restraining abutment with a fixed portion of the latch set.

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a latch set incorporating the lock of the present invention shown installed in a door, parts of the latch set and of the door being broken away.

Figure 2 is a top perspective view of the installed latch set similar to Figure 1, but showing the parts in the locked position.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the bolt of the latch set.

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of a portion of the latch set with parts in exploded relationship and having portions broken away.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are enlarged top perspective views of the rollbacks and associated portions of the spindles, slide and other parts of the latch set, showing the parts in different operative positions.

Most of the mechanism forming the latch set is of conventional construction, and this is particularly true of the bolt 1, bolt operating slide 10, their housing 11, and associated parts. The housing 11 has arcuate upper and lower parts as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that it may Patented July 17, 1956 ybe received in a cylindrical bore opening in the swinging door edge. A plate 12 integral with the casing 11 can t in a rectangular recess in the door edge.

As shown in Figure 3, the bolt 1 and slide 10 are both reciprocable in the housing 11, but in opposite directions. As the slide 10 is shifted to the right, as seen in Figure 3, its slot 13 will engage the heel of lever 14, swingably mounted in the housing 11 on pivot 15, to swing the toe of such lever in the opposite direction. This toe engages a lug 16 on the bolt 1 and acts to retract the bolt in opposition to the projecting force exerted on it by spring 17, which reacts from the crossbar 18 integral with and extending transversely of the housing 11. When pressure on the slide 10 is released, the force of the spring 17 will project the bolt 1 to the right, which movement will swing the lever 15 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 3, so that its heel will shift the slide 10 back again to the left. It will be understood that this bolt operating mechanism is simply representative of a slide-operated type with which the slide reciprocating and locking mechanism of the present invention may be used.

The inner end of the housing 11 has an aperture extending through it transversely of the direction of reciprocation of slide l0. In this aperture may be received the slide reciprocating rolllbacks 2 and 3 in face-to-face abutment. The rollback 2 has a planar cam surface adjacent to the slide 10 and, as shown best in Figure 4, is mounted on the end of the spindle 20, from which extends the square shank 21 which can be received in the square hole 22 formed as usual in the door knob 23. Encircling the shank of the door knob is the face plate 24, which may be secured by screws in -conventional fashion to the inner plate 25. A spring 26 is interengaged between this inner plate and the rollback 2, which urges the rollback away from the door knob 23. The spring 26 can be held in centered position by pins 27 over which the spring end seats.

The rollback 3 is carried by the spindle 30. A stub end 31 of one spindle, such as the spindle 30, fits slidably and rotatively in a bore 28 in the other spindle, such as spindle 20 to effect mutual support and alignment of the spindles, although relatively rotatable and slidable longitudinally. The square shank 32 of the spindle 30 fits in the square section aperture 33 of the door knob 34. The face plate 35 encircling the shank of this door knob, and the inner plate 36, may be secured by screws extending through them and threaded into the tie rods 29 carried by the plate 25. When thus engaged the screws hold the inner plates 25 and 36 against separating movement.

The inner plate 36 carries a sleeve 37 integral with it, into which the spindle 30 fits slidably. In this sleeve is a cam slot 38 opening at the end of such sleeve remote from plate 36. This slot is of a width to receive in it a cam follower pin projecting radially from the spindle 30 at a location adjacent to the rollback 3. While the pin 39 and slot 38 may be located in any position around spindle 30 and sleeve 37, these elements must be located relatively with respect to the rollback 3 and the screw holes in plate 36 so that the interaction of the pin and slot will effect the desired locking movement of the parts.

The contour of the cam slot 38 changes along its length. Tracing its contour from the end of sleeve 37 where it opens, such slot has a short axially extending portion terminating in a small, pin-receiving latching recess 38. From a location adjacent to such recess a helically inclined portion 38 of the slot slopes away from the sleeve end through an angle of almost ninety degrees. From such inclined portion extends a circumferential portion 38"' disposed substantially n a radial plane and extending through an arc preferably somewhat in excess of ninety degrees, such as one hundred degrees or one hundred ten degrees. The slot 38 and pin 39 are located circumferentially in sleeve 37 and on spindle 30, respectively, so that when the bolt 1 is projected into latching position and the door is unlocked, the pin 39 will be disposed in the circumferentially extending slot portion 38 at a location adjacent to the helical slot portion 38".

The reason for the rollback 3 being of quadrant shape and the manner in which the locking mechanism operates can be seen best from a comparison of Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8. The rollbacks 2 and 3 are shown in their centered positions in Figure 5, in which the slide 10 and bolt 1 are held in expanded relationship by the spring 17 in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. The rollback 2 is journaled for rotation on the stub end 31 of spindle 30 rcceived in the cavity 28 of spindle 20. Spring 26 urges the rollback 2 into abutment with the rollback 3, which in turn is pressed against the adjacent end of stationary sleeve 37. Neither of these rollbacks can therefore be moved farther toward the right in Figure 5, that is, farther toward door knob 34.

Since the squared shank 21 of spindle 20 is received in the square section cavity 22 of door knob 23, rotation of this door knob in the counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure l, will rotate spindle and rollback 2 correspondingly in the clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 6. Engagement of the rollback 2 with the slide 10 during such manipulation of the door knob 23 will cause the rollback to exert pressure on the slide which will move it in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 6 to effect retraction of the bolt 1 in the manner previously explained, so that the door can be opened. When the door knob is released, of course, the pressure of spring 17 will move the bolt and slide in extending relationship, and the resulting pressure of the slide toward the left in Figure 6 will rotate the rollback 2 and knob 23 back to their initial positions. A comparable unlatching and return movement of the latch set parts would occur if the door knob 23 were rotated in the clockwise direction, as seen in Figure 1, instead of being rotated counterclockwise as discussed.

If the door knob 34 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction from its position shown in Figure l and the position of the parts illustrated in Figure 5, the corner of the quadrant-shaped rollback 3 adjacent to the slide 10 will be forced against such slide in the manner indicated in Figure 7, because of the rotation of spindle in the direction indicated by the arrow in that figure. Such rotation will effect reciprocation of slide 10 in the same mariner as effected by the manipulation of knob 23 to turn rollback 2 as discussed in connection with Figure 6. Because the stub end 31 0f spindle 30 is of cylindrical shape, however, as is the cavity 28 of spindle 20 in which it is engaged, such rotation of rollback 3 will not turn rollback 2 or knob 23. When the door knob 34 is released, the pressure of spring 17 on bolt 1 will effect shifting of slide 10 back to the left. as seen in Figure 7, and return the rollback 3 and door knob 34 to their positions of Figures 1 and 5.

During rotation of the spindle 30 relative to sleeve 37 in effecting the bolt retraeting movement described, the pin 39 will move in the circumferential portion 38" of the cam slot 38 in sleeve 37 from a location adjacent to the helically inclined portion 38 away from such portion. Such movement of pin 39 will therefore exert no pressure tending to shift spindle 30 lengthwise relative to fixed sleeve 37, but, on the contrary, such pin and cam slot engagement will hold the spindle against any such lengthwise shifting.

It will be evident that in order to effect the bolt retracting reciprocation of slide 10 discussed above by either of rollbacks 2 and 3, both of these rollbacks rnust be in registry with slide 10. Such slide, therefore, must be of a width at least equal to the combined widths of rollbacks eating rotation, the locking mechanism of the present invention is effective to shift spindle 20 axially toward door knob 23 in opposition to the force of spring 26 a distance such that the rollback 2 no longer is fully in registry with the slide 10 but its planar cam surface is at least partially in registry with a portion of fixed housing 11 alongside slide 10. When effort is exerted on door knob 23 to turn it in either direction, therefore, one or the other of the corners on rollback 2 will press against the housing, which will serve as a stop preventing further rotation of the rollback. Consequently, slide 10 cannot be shifted by rollback 2 in such position sufficiently, if at all, to retract bolt 1 into its unlatched position.

Lengthwise shifting of spindle 20 to move rollback 2 into its locked position described is effected by the cam action of the helically inclined portion 38 of slot 38 on pin 39 when the door knob 34 and the spindle 30 are rotated in the clockwise direction from the positions of Figures l and 5 into the positions of Figures 2 and 8, as indicated by the arrows in those figures. The wedging action of this portion of the cam slot on the pin 39 effects sliding of the spindle 30 to the left, as seen in Figure 8, so that the rollback 3 is spaced from the adjacent end of sleeve 37. Such movement of this spindle and rollback causes the rollback to exert pressure against rollback 2, which slides it and its spindles 20 toward door knob 23 in opposition to the force exerted by spring 26.

As clockwise rotation of door knob 34 progresses the rollbacks 2 and 3, and their spindles 20 and 30, will be shifted increasingly farther to the left, as indicated by thc arrow in Figure 8, without rotation of rollback 2, until the pin 39 reaches the recess 38' at the end of the axially extending portion of slot 38. Engagement of pin 39 with such axial slot portion interrupts continued rotation of the door knob 34 in the clockwise direction. lf the door knob is then released, the force of spring 26 urging the rollbacks 2 and 3 and their spindles toward the right will lodge pin 39 in the latching recess 38' so that the pin will not tend to return along the helically inclined portion 38" of the cam slot to the circumferential portion 38' Because the rollback 3 is of quadrant shape, it will not press against the slide 10 during its rotation from its position of Figure 5 to its position of Figure 8 in the clockwise direction. Consequently, the bolt 1 will not be withdrawn during such rotation of the door knob 34 to lock the door knob 23. Moreover, the door knob 34 cannot be turned farther in a clockwise direction to engage the rollback 3 with the slide l0 because of the stop action of pin 39 engaging the axial portion of cam slot 38. If the door knob 34 is given a slight turn in the counterclockwise direction, however, and then released, the pin 39 will be withdrawn from the latching recess 38', whereupon the force exerted by spring 26 on rollback 2 will urge that rollback, rollback 3, spindle 30 and pin 39 along the helically inclined portion 38" of the cam slot, accompanied by continued rotation of the door knob 34 in the counterclockwise direction until the pin 39 reaches the circumferential portion 38"' of thecam slot. The rollbacks will then again have reached their positions shown in Figures 1 and 5, and the latch mechanism will have been unlocked so that the slide 1 0 again may be reciprocated in bolt retracting direction by turning of door knob 23 in either direction, or by .turning door knob 34 in the counterclockwise direction.

It will be appreciated that pin 39 is subjected only to the relatively light pressure of spring 26 urging it against the .edge of cam slot 38, and such pressure occurs only during locking or unlocking rotation of the spindle 30 illustrated in Figures 2 and 8. The pin is not pressed against the edge of the cam slot during bolt retracting rotation of either door knob 23 or door knob 34, because, as long as the pin 39 is in the circumferential portion 38 of the cam slot, the face of rollback 3 2 and 3. In order to lock rollback 2 against slide recipro- 75 adjacent to sleeve 37 will be pressed against the end vv of such sleeve to resist the force of spring 26. Consequently, there is very little tendency for the pin 39 and cam slot 38 to wear. The other parts of the latch set are constructed in accordance with usual commercial standards, and consequently the life of a latch set incorporating the locking mechanism described above will be as long as that of any other latch set of comparable manufacture.

I claim as my invention:

1. Locking mechanism for a latch bolt, comprising a rollback, a bolt actuating member movable to effect retraction of the latch bolt and engageable by said rollback when in registry therewith to effect latch bolt retracting movement thereof, a fixed member alongside said bolt actuating member, means supporting said rollback for movement between a position n registry with said bolt actuating member and a position engageable with said fixed member to prevent bolt retracting movement of said bolt actuating member by said rollback, a Y

door knob, means operable by rotation of said door knob in one direction to move said bolt actuating member for retracting the latch bolt, and means operable by rotation of said door knob in the opposite direction to shift said rollback from its position in registry with said bolt actuating member into its position engageable with said fixed member for preventing bolt retracting engagement thereof with said bolt actuating member.

2. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt, a bolt retracting slide, a fixed member alongside said slide, a

first door knob, a first rollback member rotatively connected to said first door knob and movable axially between a position in full registry with said slide and a position engageable with said fixed member, a second door knob, a second rollback member rotatively connected to said second door knob but movable axially relative thereto and disposed in registry with said slide, a spindle secured to said second rollback member for rotative and axial movement therewith, a fixed sleeve encircling said spindle and having a helical cam slot therein, a cam follower pin received in said cam slot and anchored in said spindle to effect axial movement of said spindle and said first rollback member into such position engageable with said fixed member by rotation of said spindle effected by movement of said second door knob, and spring means operable to urge said first rollback member toward said sleeve.

3. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt, a bolt retracting slide, a first door knob, a first spindle rotatively connected to said first door knob but slidable axially relative thereto, a first rollback member integral with said first spindle and having corners engageable with said slide, a fixed slide guide alongside said slide and between it and said first door knob, means guiding said first spindle for axial movement to shift said first rollback member between a position in registry with said slide and a position in which its corners are partially engageable with said fixed guide, a second door knob at the side of said slide opposite said first door knob,

a second spindle aligned with said first spindle, rotatively connected to said second door knob and movable axially relative thereto, a second rollback member integral with said second spindle, disposed in face-to-face vengagement with said first rollback member and disposed in registry with said slide, a fixed sleeve encircling said second spindle and having one end thereof engageable by the face of said second rollback member remote from said first rollback member, said sleeve having therein a cam slot opening at the end thereof, vengageable by said second rollback member and including an axially extending portion next to said sleeve end, a helically inclined portion joined to said axially extending portion, and a latching notch in the portion of said slot adjacent to said axially extending portion, a cam follower pin received in said slot and anchored in said second spindle to effect axial movement of said spindles and said rollback members by movement of said pin along the helically inclined portion of said slot, and spring means encircling said first spindle, engaged with said first rollback member and operable to urge said spindles and said rollback members toward said fixed sleeve.

4. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt, a bolt retracting slide, a first door knob, a first spindle rotatively c onnected to said first door knob but slidable axially relative thereto, a first rollback member integral with said first spindle and having corners engageable with said slide, a fixed slide guide alongside said slide and between it and said first door knob, means guiding said first spindle for axial movement to shift said first rollback member between a position in registry with said slide and a position in which its corners are partially engageable with said fixed guide, a second door knob at the side of said slide opposite said first door knob, a second spindle aligned with said first spindle, rotatively connected to said second door knob and movable axially relative thereto, a second rollback member integral with said second spindle, disposed in face-to-face engagement with said first rollback member and disposed in registry with said slide, a fixed sleeve encircling said second spindle and having one end thereof engageable by the face of said second rollback member remote from said first rollback member, said sleeve having therein a cam slot opening at the end thereof, engageable by said second rollback member and including an axially extending portion next to said sleeve end, a helically inclined portion of approximately joined to said axially extending portion, a circumferential portion of approximately 90 communicating with said helically inclined portion at a location remote from said axially extending portion and disposed in a radial plane, and a latching notch in the portion of said slot remote from said circumferential portion, a cam follower pin received in said slot and anchored in said second spindle to effect axial movement of said spindles and said rollback members by movement of said pin along the helically inclined portion of said slot, and spring means encircling said first spindle, engaged with said first rollback member and operable to urge said spindles and said rollback members toward said fixed sleeve.

5. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt, a bolt retracting slide, a first door knob, a first spindle rotatively connected to said first door knob but slidable axially relative thereto, a first rollback member integral with said first spindle and having corners engageable with said slide, a fixed slide guide alongside said slide and between it and said first door knob, means guiding said first spindle for axial movement to shift said first rollback member between a position in registry with said slide and a lposition in which its corners are partially engageable with said fixed guide, a second door knob at the side of said slide opposite said first door knob, a second spindle aligned with said first spindle, rotatively connected to said second door knob and movable axially relative thereto one of said spindles having a stub projecting endwise therefrom and the adjacent end of the other spindle having therein a cavity receiving said stub and mutually supporting said spindles for relative rotation, a second rollback member integral with said second spindle, disposed in face-to-face engagement with said first rollback member and disposed in registry with said slide, a fixed sleeve encircling said second spindle and having one end thereof engageable by the face of said second rollback memberremote from said first rollback member, said sleeve having therein a cam slot opening at the end thereof, engageable by said second rollback member and including an axially extending portion next to said sleeve end, a helically inclined portion of approximately 90 joined to said axially extending portion, a circumferential portion of approximately 90 communicating with said helically inclined portion at a location remote from said axially extending portion and disposed in a radial plane, and a latching notch in the portion of said slot remote from said circumferential portion, a cam follower pin received in said slot and anchored in said second spindle to effect axial movement of said spindles and said rollback members by movement of said pin along the helically inclined portion of said slot, and spring means encircling said first spindle, engaged with said first rollback member and operable to urge said spindles and said rollback members toward said fixed sleeve.

6. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt, a bolt retracting slide, a first door knob, a first spindle rotatively connected to said first door knob but slidable axially relative thereto, a first rollback member integral with said first spindle and having corners engageable with said slide, a fixed slide guide alongside said slide and between it and said first door knob, means guiding said first spindle for axial movement to shift said first rollback member between a position in registry with said slide and a position in which its corners are partially engageable with said fixed guide, a second door knob at the side of said slide opposite said first door knob, a second spindle aligned with said first spindle, rotatively connected to said second door knob and movable axially relative thereto, one of said spindles having a stub projecting endwise therefrom and the adjacent end of the other spindle having therein a cavity receiving said stub and mutually supporting said spindles for relative rotation, a second rollback member of quadrant shape integral with said second spindle, disposed in face-to-face engagement with said first rollback member and disposed in registry with said slide, a fixed sleeve encircling said second spindle and having one end thereof engageable by the face of said second rollback member remote from said first rollback member, said sleeve having therein a cam slot opening at the end thereof, engageable by said second rollback member and including an axially extending portion next to said sleeve end, a helically inclined portion of approximately 90 joined to said axially extending portion, a circumferential portion of approximately 90 communieating with said helically inclined portion at a location remote from said axially extending portion and disposed in a radial plane, and a latching notch in the portion of said slot remote from said circumferential portion, a cam follower pin received in said slot and anchored in said second spindle to effect axial movement of said spindles and said rollback members by movement of said pin along the helically inclined portion of said slot, and spring means encircling said first spindle, engaged with said first rollback member and operable to urge said spindles and said rollback members toward said fixed sleeve.

7. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt retracting slide, a rst door knob, a rollback member rotatively connected to said first door knob and movable axially between a position in full registry with said slide and a position out of full registry with said slide, a second door knob, a spindle movable axially relative to said second door knob and operable by such axial movement to effect axial movement of said first rollback member into such position out of full registry with said slide, means rotatively connecting said spindle to said second door knob, and means operable by rotation of said spindle effected by movement of said second door knob to effect such axial movement of said spindle and of said rollback member.

8. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt retracting slide, a fixed member alongside said slide, a first door knob, a rollback member rotatively connected to said first door knob and movable axially between a position in registry with said slide and a position engageable with said fixed member, a second door knob, a spindle movable axially relative to said second door knob and operable by such axial movement to effect axial movement of said first rollback member into such position engageable with said fixed member, means rotatively connecting said spindle to said second door knob, cam means operable by rotation of said spindle effected by movement of said second door knob to effect such axial movement of said spindle and said first rollback member, and spring means operable to urge said rollback member toward said second door knob.

9. Locking mechanism comprising a bolt retracting slide, a fixed member alongside said slide, a first door knob, a rollback member rotatively connected to said first door knob and movable axially between a position in registry with said slide and a position engageable with said fixed member, a second door knob, a spindle movable axially relative to said second door knob and oper able by such axial movement to effect axial movement of said first rollback member into such position engageable with said fixed member, means rotatively connecting said spindle to said second door knob, a fixed sleeve encircling said spindle and having a helical cam slot therein, and a cam follower pin received in said cam slot and anchored in said spindle to effect such axial movement of said spindle and said first rollback member by rotation of aidbspindle effected by movement of said second door References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 722,619 Phelps Mar. l0, 1903 971,340 Arens Sept. 27, 1910 1,038,512 Anderson Sept. 17, 1912 2,403,597 Hillgren July 9, 1946 2,666,320 Teich Jan. 19, 1954 

